‘Blade Runner 2′ Story to Take Place Years Later; Features a Female Protagonist

The original Blade Runner consistently finds itself at the top of most “best science-fiction films” lists for a reason. It is, in fact, the only film to have a Director’s Cut that is far more highly-regarded than the original, which had a tacked-on happy ending and grating, over-the-top voice-over narration due to studio overreach.

While we’ve known for some time that a follow-up of sorts (let’s call it Blade Runner 2 for ease of reference) was in development, today marks the first official word that it’s a sequel to be directed by Ridley Scott and written by Hampton Fancher, A.K.A. the creative team behind the original. But unlike the original, the protagonist of the forthcoming film – will be a lady.

Check out the key sections of the press release below:

Hampton Fancher is in talks to reunite with his “Blade Runner” director Ridley Scott to develop the idea for the original screenplay for the Alcon Entertainment, Scott Free, and Bud Yorkin produced follow up to the ground-breaking 1982 science fiction classic, it was announced by Alcon co-founders and co-Chief Executive Officers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove.

The filmmakers are also revealing for the first time that the much-anticipated project is intended to be a sequel to the renowned original. The filmmakers would reveal only that the new story will take place some years after the first film concluded.

The three-time Oscar-nominated Scott and his “Blade Runner” collaborator Fancher originally conceived of their 1982 classic as the first in a series of films incorporating the themes and characters featured in Philip K. Dick’s groundbreaking novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, from which “Blade Runner” was adapted. Circumstances, however, took Scott into other directions and the project never advanced.

So, in short, the sequel will take place “some years after” the events of the original Blade Runner and may (or may not) be based on Scott and Fancher’s original, unrealized concept of a series of films.

Scott also talked with The Daily Beast about Blade Runner 2’s status and the sex of the film’s protagonist, saying:

“Funny enough, I started my first meetings on the Blade Runner sequel last week. We have a very good take on it. And we’ll definitely be featuring a female protagonist.”

It’s probably safe to assume at this point that the story of Blade Runner 2 won’t involve police officer Rick Deckard (previously portrayed by Harrison Ford) in any way whatsoever, even recast with a younger actor. In fact, it seems more likely that Scott and Fancher will be concocting a tale about an altogether different Blade Runner in the deep, terrible future of (gasp!) 2020s Los Angeles, a la the surprisingly good Blade Runner adventure game from the late 90s.

Which is excellent news, in this writer’s opinion. There was an internet rumor that briefly caused alarm — before being shot down — that Harrison Ford was going to be involved in the follow-up. Frankly, no one needs to know what happened to Deckard after he skipped town with Rachael at the end of the original. Half the reason that film is so interesting is it’s incredibly ambiguous on a number of levels, its ending most of all.

The only real question now is — what’s next for Ridley Scott’s nostalgia era of films after Blade Runner 2? Can we expect Legend 2 in a few years, starring an aged Tom Cruise in that sparkly tunic of yore? One can only hope.

Keep your eyes on the main page for more news on the status of Blade Runner 2 as it develops.